PaSe A4_______________________________________________
e JJ or t lattò (Bboeruer
December 31. 2003
O pinion
Thc Portland Observer
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Paul Neufeldt
-I N - C H I Í F . P u l L I S H r H
Charles H. Washington
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O r n a
d it o i
Michael Leighton
M
4 n a c k
Kathy Linder
I) IS T I I I V T I O N MANAGUA
Mark Washington
R
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Jaymee R. Cuti
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W IT H O U T P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O H IB IT E D .
subscriDtiQn&oodiaixioiJservçr.cQtTi,
On The Right Track for Health Crisis Plans
cans. It was a public health emer­
gency of massive proportion.
This year's flu season does
not appear, at this point, to be
extremely severe. However, its
early start, along with publicity
about childhood deaths and de­
pleted vaccine supplies, has
heightened awarenessof the flu’s
by D r . G rant H igginson ,
potential threat. Some people are
K ent B allantyne and
asking
if we are ready for a
M arilynn S utherland
communicable
disease epidemic
Most of us are too young to
or
a
bioterrorist
attack.
recall the terror o f the 1918
Oregon
is
more
prepared than
“Spanish flu” that killed more
ever
to
respond
to
a
public health
than 20 million people world­
crisis.
wide, including 550,000 Ameri­
This is prim arily due to a
Influenza raises
questions about
future
epidemics
re c e n t in fu s io n o f fe d e ra l
bioterrorism and em ergency
prep ared n ess dollars. T hese
funds added public health staff
within counties and at the state
level, improved microbiology
testing capability at the state
public health laboratory in Port­
land and created a laboratory
response netw ork across the
state. We have created an elec­
tronic com m unication network
that enables rapid information
sharing am ong federal, state
and county public health agen­
cies. Hospitals and health clin ­
ics have prepared em ergency
Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
A program ot the African American Health Coalition, Inc
Sponsored by the COC (Centers tor Disease Control and Prevention)
Wellness W ithin REACH Activity Calendar
response plans.
Some have raised the specter
of people dying in the streets or
being cared for in makeshift fa­
cilities. Through careful planning,
we can avert such a situation.
Hospital medical care "surge ca­
p a c ity ” has been a sse sse d
throughout Oregon.
Nearly 2,000 additional beds
Across Oregon, hospitals and
health systems are constantly re­
evaluating emergency plans to
ensure that staff are trained to
deal with epidemics, that sick
patients are sent to the correct
facility and that staff and re­
sources are shared appropriately
during a crisis.
Critical new relationships have
Some have raised the specter o f
people dying in the streets or being
cared fo r in makeshift facilities.
are available statewide for “surge
capacity” in a health emergency.
Planning for how these beds
would be used is a decision to be
made by local public and private
health care providers. The Or­
egon Department of Human Ser­
vices has purchased a software
program to monitor changes hos­
pital bed status.
been forged. In the past two
years public health has become
more integrated with emergency
responders such as police, fire,
emergency management and 911
call centers. The result is a more
unified system that can take quick
action during a bioterrorist at­
tack or any other public health
emergency.
Are we completely prepared?
No, not entirely, and there will
alw ays be new diseases that
stress or temporarily overwhelm
the system. But we are making
important strides.
Public health and private health
care providers are working and
planning together-so that if a "flu
pandemic” or other deadly public
health emergency arises in this
century, we will respond effec­
tively and save lives.
Dr. Grant Higginson is the
public health officer in the Or­
egon Department o f Human Ser­
vices and oversees the sta te’s
bioterrorism and public health
emergency planning program.
Kent Ballantyne is senior vice
president o f the Oregon Asso­
cia tio n o f H o sp ita ls an d
Healthcare Systems. Marilynn
Sutherland is administrator o f
Klamath County Public Health
D ep a rtm en t an d c h a ir o f
Oregon 's Conference o f Local
Health Officials.
All classes are free of charge!
Mon
Tues
Wed
Thurs
Fri
Sat
Mall Dishman
77 NE Knott
Stretching/'Body
Sculpting
Sculpting
10:00-11310am
7-8am Lois
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Salvation Army
5325 N W í U b ik .
U rn
Waler Aerobics
h i Chi
Waler Aerobics
630 730pm
CLASSESFULL
630 - 7:30pm
CLASSES FUli
Henry
Wailing List Available
Lyles
Waiting list Available
7-8amLois
toga
Wild Oils Market
3535 NE 15th.
iM l
7:30-8:30pm
O'Rourke
Needs of People Ignored
toga
Body Conditioning
730830pm
9 3 0 -10:30am
O'Rourke
Nickerson
Peninsula Park
700 N Portland
Mallory Avenue
Christian Church
(Gym)
126 NE Alaerta
Walking Cronp
12:30pm
Woods
Aerobics
Aerobics
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6:00- 7.4W AM
6.00- 7:00pm
600-7:00 AM
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6:00 7:00 AM
Pierce
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Moves Io Humboldt
5:30-620pm
Granile
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500 N. Willamette
Hunboldt
Elementary
4915 N.
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Daniers Memorial
Chunk
12tfc 4 iilmgiwnrih
Moves Io Humboldt
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530-6:20pm
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1/6/04
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6:3O-7;tOpm
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9:00-10:00am
9:00 ■ 10:00am
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6:00-7:00pm
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Keller
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Begins 1/6/04
Begins 1/8/04
Low Impact
7:15-8:15pm
Granville
*'Must be 21 or older to participate. Please check with AAHC before showing up to the first class
503-413-1850 Please receive approval from your doctor before beginning exercise class.
African American Health Coalition, Inc.
Portland OR 97227 •
Daily, the contradiction be­
tween reality and the media myth
that we are enjoying a “jobless
recovery” is becoming more ob­
vious. Companies are increasing
their profits by decreasing the
price of labor through lay-offs
and using part-time hours to cut
back on full time benefits while
demanding increased productiv­
ity under threat of a pink slip.
I am one of the many in the
ever-expanding service sector who
deals with the triple burden of
keeping a high level of productiv-
ity while working under 40 hours
and barely earning enough to live
on, let alone think about vacations,
healthcare or savings. In addition,
I have to work a flexible, i.e.
ch ao tic, w ork schedule that
changes on a weekly basis.
Insteadof blaming immigrants
in this country and workers in
other countries for the disap­
pearance of American jobs and
the lowering of wages, 1 blame
the world economy of capitalism
that prioritizes profits before
people.
Free trade agreements are used
to exports jobs to countries where
labor and environmental standards
are the lowest. The hardest hit by
these practices include women
and people o f color.
All of us need a world economy
that prioritizes the needs o f
people; one that plans production
and distribution so that no one
goes hungry and everyone can
thrive. That economy is interna­
tional socialism.
Emma Allen
Radical Women
Beef Industry Deception
Aerobics
2800 N. Vancouver Ave . Suite 100 •
betters ta the (3üditar.;
African Dance
Stielchmg/Body
Phone: 503-413-1850
E-mail. kdempsey@aahc-portland org • Web: www.aahc-portland org
Current U.S. Department of
Agriculture efforts to protect the
beef industry from the Mad Cow
crisis deceives American con­
sumers.
Mad Cow disease had not been
detected earlier because USDA
had been testing only a fraction
of the millions of cows slaugh­
tered annually. Europe and Japan
test thousands every day.
According to a government
study, 25 percent of feed plants
were out of compliance with a
STD Clinic
5D3-98B-370D
HIV Community Test Site
503-988-3775
426 SW Stark St . P - Floor
Downtown Portland
Call lor an appointment
Limited walk-ins
Sliding-scale lee
No one turned away lor
inability to pay
h e a lth
1997 ban on feeding cow slaugh­
terhouse remains to other cows,
a known transmission path for
the disease.
A m ericans consum e m eat
products containing spinal col­
umn and brain tissue, traditional
carriers of the disease. During
slaughter, muscle tissues are rou­
tinely sprayed with bits of these
tissues. T-bone steaks, hamburg­
ers, hot dogs, and beef fillings
and toppings contain bits of the
spinal column.
Other animals raised for food
are also capable of carrying, con­
tracting and, presumably, trans­
mitting the disease, but they don’t
get to live long enough to mani­
fest symptoms.
Folks in the meat industry
should seek a more secure ca­
reer. The rest of us should make
a New Y ear’s resolution to re­
place meat in our diet with veg­
etables, fruits, and whole grains.
Julian Staley
Northeast Portland